3 ms·
We remember the circumstances of the OJ case at the time somewhat differently. LAPD were still in the news for the Rodney King riots when the OJ Simpson trial
by thaumaturgy 7y ago
We remember the circumstances of the OJ case at the time somewhat differently.
LAPD were still in the news for the Rodney King riots when the OJ Simpson trial kicked off. There were some pretty damning recordings of the lead detective (Fuhrman; had to look it up) with a lot of racist content and talk of planting evidence.
But opinions of the case, by my recollection, fell along predictable racial and political lines. There were an awful lot of people that were certain from the beginning that he was guilty, and they had among their spokespeople Rush Limbaugh, who started practicing talking out of both sides of his mouth right around then by refusing to talk directly about the OJ case but instead spending a lot of air time on the "cultural differences" between white people and black people.
I remember it somewhat distinctly because, unfortunately, both my dad and his dad were listeners of that show and that was about the time I first realized that they were a little bit racist.
- pieterhg 7y agoWho is "his dad" here?
- jonsen 7y agoDad’s dad is my guess.
- dhrjrifirj3 7y agoIt's worth noting that discussing cultural differences between ethnic groups is not inherently racist (in fact, it's what many of the best and brightest advocates for diversity spend a lot of time and energy doing). It is an axiomatical truth unless you are yourself a racist who does not subscribe to the benefits of multiculturalism! Now it is racist to reference FBI crime statistics or UK grooming gangs, for example, and try to infer negative cultural differences from that (I'd strongly suggest nobody even look them up) but it is not racist to celebrate Ramadan or support the NBA as long as you are invited and welcomed by PoC.
- DavidWoof 7y ago> But opinions of the case, by my recollection, fell along predictable racial and political lines. Just racial. Hard to believe now, but polling on racial scandals in the 80s and 90s, including OJ, Rodney King, Goetz, etc. didn't show much difference between Republicans and Democrats. The opposite is true now, of course. Basically the Limbaugh wing now dominates the Republican party.